Add Luna Park to the ever growing list of beloved places in The Mission that are closing down. It joined the likes of Dante’s Weird Fish and The Lexington when owner A.J. Gilbert told Uptown Almanac that rising labor prices would cause the restaurant to close its doors. He said he believes that the passing of a bill (to be voted on next week) that will raise the minimum wage from $10.74 to $15 will hurt his business.
I’m sad to see this spot go.
The brunch lines were never long at Luna Park and I have been enjoying chilaquiles there for years. Long before I could legally drink, I pined for a Luna Park cocktail because I saw that every concoction they made came with a party-colored plastic animal. I longed for the day I could enjoy a fresh mojito with muddled mint and a tiny green mermaid basking on the side like she was enjoying a rummy Jacuzzi dip.
Their drinks were fun.
I will miss lazy Sundays sitting on their sidewalk tables, because two for one Bloody Marys happen to be one of my four love languages. Just last weekend my partner and I knocked one back while watching a bike parade go by. Sitting in front of Luna Park with a view of Valencia is like watching a 24/7 dog and baby channel, something not unpleasant on a weekend.
In the restaurant row that is Valencia St., Luna park was a quiet, mostly unpretentious place. And that's what made it versatile. One weekend I could down palomas with my friends, hungover and grooving to the soul music. The next I could be there with my parents — Luna Park was the kind of place you could dine at with pretty much everyone.
It's an essential stop on my out-of-town guest tour — a tour that is admittedly mostly a pub crawl. I lead friends through Clarion Alley from Mission Street and then down to the Women's Building, finishing up at Luna Park for a post mural walk cocktail.
But it wasn't just the cocktails I'll miss, the food was great too — the perfectly crunchy chilaquiles and the tangy sweet pulled pork. I’ll miss the wait staff who always spoke to me like a friend whether they were explaining a cocktail or an interesting tattoo they had.
The restaurant space has been acquired by the PlumpJack Group, which is planning on putting a bar in its place.
Hold close to the places you love, San Francisco, they seem to be going fast.
If you need me, I’ll be at Zeitgeist, cooing, “Don’t ever leave me” to a Bloody Mary.
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